2015-01-21

Creative Gym - Exercise #4

There are more and more of you at our Gym which makes our hearts sing and...
...well, we hope your creative muscles are warmed up enough at this point as our new Exercises is really really special. :)

This month we are going to follow Kasia's instructions and invite you to try

Intuitive Painting!

Do not be afraid! Kasia prepared step by step instructions to help you have some creative fun. :)
So please, send your inner critic away and just enjoy splashing some paint around.

Here's what to do:

Kasia: I'm so happy to share with you one of my
favorite ways to wake up my creativity. It's quick and easy but it can
really help you start creating if you're stuck. So just grab three or
four colours of your favourite acrylic paint and be prepared for great
fun.

Here's our exercise:

1. Prepare a few pages or tags, you are going to work on more than one project at once. 2. Spread acrylic paint on your papers. Start with the lightest color and then
add two or three darker ones. Don't think too much and work as fast as you
can.

Use a paintbrush, a brayer, your fingers, an old credit card or anything
you want. Just paint. It should take you less than 3 minutes. Don't
be afraid to get your fingers dirty.

The important thing is - try not to think about shapes or any final result you'd like to achieve. Simply paint, enjoy the colors, just relax!

3. Dry it and grab a pen or a pencil. Try to find some shapes on your
painting. Maybe some flowers, figures, animals will appear? It's time
to wake up your imagination. Doodle and sketch. If you can't find any
shape just create it.

4. Emphasize and define the shapes you've drawn by painting with white acrylic paint around them. Add some more colors or papers if you want - just have fun.

Please remember that this time it's
not about the effect. Share your drawings with us but don't be afraidthat someone will judge your skills now. It's only an exercise! So show
your creativity, play with your imagination, take a picture and
create one more. :)

And here are the examples of intuitive painting by some of our Design Team members - we hope they will spark your imagination and that you will join us in this month's Exercise!

This time our challenge was quite an experience for me. :) In a very good
way and also in a very hard way! Don't get me wrong - I love
experimenting with different media. The only "problem" is that
the composition is a very important thing for me. Even with sprays or
splashes - I always try to achieve a certain effect. And here - that was
pure coincidence!

I was very lucky to create this page in a great
company - spending a weekend with Kasia and Agnieszka Anna. And that was
something really
great. If you have a chance to meet with your creative friends - our
Creative Gym is a great way to have fun with. When you are with
other people - talking, laughing, having fun - it's just so much easier
to let go of your usual way to create. :)

Give this challenge a try! The results may
surprise you. And even if you're not completely happy with the final
effect - it's a great exercise! :)

Materials used:

My 3 tags were done very quickly. All with paint but all with a very
different final look. All tags were prepped first with gesso.

Tag #1 was made with Distress Paints (yellow and teal) applied to a craft mat, spritzed with water and then the tag dragged through. Heat
dried. Add more paint in a different colour (blue) onto a craft mat,
roll through it with a sponge roller and apply to tag. Lastly apply
paint in another colour (green) to craft mat, add some water, dip in an
old toothbrush and use to add splatters.

Tag #2 is made with full bodied acrylic paint applied with a plastic card.

Tag #3 is made with fluid acrylic inks, dripped directly onto the tag, then
spritzed with water and allowed to just flow and spread out.

Three different types of paint, applied quickly and randomly in very different ways.

To finish off tag #1, just add some tapes. To finish off tag #2, add
some tissue images. To finish off tag #3 add some doodling with a Sharpie pen.

Playing with paint. So quick and so much fun !

Materials used:

I followed the steps
for the challenge and created an art journal spread.

I used different
hues of blue together with white and just smeared the paints around
using a brayer and my fingers.

The first thing I saw in the paints
was a head of a bull and I guess that set my mind to Spanish mode as
I saw next a matador and the spectators and carnival characters.

This project was a
really fun exercise and I think I might do it again occasionally when
in need of a creative break!

Materials used:

For me Kasia's challenge became a creative exercise - I didn't care
for the outcome - I just digged into my creativity, stopped thinking and
started spreading acrylic paints. It was only about the pleasure of adding
colors.

When the acrylic paint dried, I found out, that there were some
tulips and a quirky bird. :) So I took black and white pens and started
drawing without thinking about the final effects. It was a very refreshing
exercise! Just creating, without pushing or trying to achieve any
particular effects. It helped me to gain a new point of view on my creative
process.

Materials used:

Are you feeling inspired? Remember! It's not about creating a super masterpiece, it's not about the final effect at all. The whole beauty of this exercise lies in the process itself...

And now it's time for a very pleasant part of our challenge posts - announcing the winner of our Gym Exercise #3. We know we say it's a difficult choice every time but it truly is.
Just imagine choosing just one artwork among so many sent in... But we had to make a decision and this month the winner is...

So, dear artists, will you try Intuitive Painting with us? :)We just can't wait to see all your beautiful exercises!You have time until February 16th. Simply add a link to your work using the inlinkz tool below.Our
Design Team will then choose their favorite piece and its author will
win a discount coupon to be used in our Mixed Media Place Store.

Ok, I'm feeling ridiculously inspired now. I bought two canvases last month in an attempt to try my hand at my first mixed media canvas (I only do cards). They've been intimidating me from the corner for the last month with their blank white faces. I think instead of being intimidated, I should just try to have some fun. This sounds like the PERFECT way to do it.

Ooh I do this at work but with scribbles... Draw a mass of scribbles on the page (I look like a nut to my colleagues) then find pictures in the scribbles and highlight it by colouring - all with a biro :) lol. Congrats Fran on winning, your journal cover is beautiful!! Can't wait to try out this technique...

It is particularly crucial to be able to keep an eye on your heart rate while training as this is the whole aim of riding your exercise bike in the first place! Always purchase an exercise bike with a built-in pulse rate monitor so that you can adjust your training accordingly. Click here to read